On Physical: 100, every ripped athlete is also a devout cheerleader

polygon.com:

There’s an interlude in the fourth episode of Physical: 100, Netflix’s Korean-language fitness reality competition series, when the remaining 25 contestants take a break from the official challenges to see who can jump the highest. In a series with only nine episodes, it might seem like a waste of time. This isn’t one of the five main physical challenges. No one will be eliminated should they not be able to jump as high as Iron Man, aka Olympic skeleton racer Yun Sung-bin, who springs from a stationary position onto a pile of mats almost as tall as he is without stretching or breaking a sweat. All the winner will earn is the admiration of their fellow competitors. But, as the show progresses past its introductory hall of torsos (one bust for each contestant), one gets the impression that admiration from their fellow competitors is worth far more to these athletes than the 300 million won (about $235,000) prize.

There’s an earnest, contagious joy to Physical: 100 that sets it apart from much of reality competition TV we get in the U.S. It’s The Great British Bake Off, but with fewer shirts and far more contestants. It’s not easy to make a competition reality show that begins with 100 entrants — frankly, that is just too many people to keep track of. There are farmers and fencers, Olympic gold medalists and mountain rescue rangers. There is a gaggle of gym rats who make their money as YouTube influencers, and a bunch of ex-UDT reservists who are now YouTubers too. And, yes, one of the contestants is actually a cheerleader.

The show does a good job of making us appreciate the diversity of athletic backgrounds, even if everyone in the group seems to know one another, or know of one another. “Everyone who works out in Korea